Mapping Two Decades of Autonomous Vehicle Research: A Systematic Scientometric Analysis

Autonomous vehicles (AV) have become a symbol of futuristic and intelligent transport innovation. This new driving technology has received heightened attention from academic, public, and private sectors. Nonetheless, a big challenge limiting a clear understanding of AV research is its scale. A large volume of literature is produced—covering various fields. This paper aims to map out the research on AV for a better understanding of the trends, patterns, and interconnections, and it critically reflects on their implications for research. A scientometric analysis technique is applied to analyze 4,645 papers published between 1998 and 2017. The findings disclose that (a) 87.7 percent of the AV studies was conducted by educational institutes; (b) Europe is the most productive continent in AV research with a 35.9 percent share of publications; (c) North America is the most influential continent in AV research, receiving 41.1 percent of the citations; (d) Over 50 percent of the studies were conducted during the last three years of the analysis period; (e) Urban and social contexts of AV research are still at their early stage; and (f) Relatively limited collaboration and knowledge sharing between academia and industry exist.